david in sweden

ouch!.......have Spuds sacked their tea lady now ?

might not be too long....Baines doesn't look to be improving, Shaw is injured for a period, and the Arsenal lad was only picked because Wembley is North London, and it bought a few more tickets !

Ali Dia was the only player we ever judged on ONE game......(or part of it anyway) Adjusting to a new set-up isn't always so easy - (ask Brendan Rodgers:lol:)... but the fact is that Mane didn't start until game 7 (his since when debut was Cup game v Arsenal), since when he has started only 5 games ....interspersed by two international breaks on another continent, where he played twice each time ...and clocked up a few thousand frequent-flyer points along the way. He needs time. I think your judgement is a little premature, especially as he wasn't the only player who " under-performed " somewhat in the Villa game.

oh does he mean .... that Koeman might struggle NEXT season?...... like Rodgers is struggling at the moment ?....(that's assuming BR is still manager NEXT season). Ironically, the main difference is that (historically)..... if Saints were in the same position (as Liverpool are today) ....we wouldn't consider it struggling, it'd be par for the course.

in other words.........Les is someone who is loyal and likes it at the club..it's the other bar stewards who are jumping ship ....... His poaching by Spuds has given a breathing space for Daniel Levy ..and avoids the possible / probable sacking yet another manager (sorry head coach).., and moves the responsibility onto Mitchell. ......but the most laughable thing is the different media definitions of his former job....." Head of Recruitment " when we know he had oversight of a large staff monitoring the reports of all the scouts .... According to a Sky Radio interview, a former Spuds employee said they were the only Prem.club without a scouting network:scared:, and that's a problem as Mitchell has to get his data from somewhere. ...to which he had suddenly become Saints' "transfer guru " - as if no-one else in the club was able to identify a likely target If some of Koeman's choices ( Pelle, Tadic ) coincided with The Black Box's findings it proves the system works ....not necessarily that he (Mitchell) was the brain behind their signings. Time will tell. Spuds will continue to throw money at the problem, Saints will spend...more wisely.

..how about ......" it's good to be sitting here in the warm, instead of being out there with that bunch of losers .....

....something near the ground record ?..or will that be when Chelsea visit SMS ?

......this is beginning to sound like one of those old WW2 spyfilm thrillers. Having stolen the plans for our success, Mitchell has been allowed to leave - and has smuggled out all of our top secret plans for targetting players. in truth, it's more likely the whole story is just another sad episode in Daniel Levy's attempt to cover his back, and avoid sacking yet another failing manager (sorry Head Coach). I began thinking ....what is the difference ?...What tasks did MP have (as manager)...at Saints that he doesn't have responsibility for at Spuds....(just moving the cones after practice, or ) as for Paul Mitchell, he is Levy's last hope ..and the hidden message is ...don't expect too much success... too soon. Be prepared for another season...or two.. of mid-table mediocrity. However, I expect Mitchell will sanction a purchase of " someone from a Saints' list "...in January - just to prove he's doing something....but if he is seen to be worth all this publicity, he has to turn around Spuds buying policy ..PDQ...otherwise....Spuds will degenerate into what they were without Gareth Bale - a fairly ordinary upper echelon club with a glorious past - recalled only by today's pensioners.

Hallelujah anyway ! How many countries do we have fans in now ?

oh I see., but surely if it was " an accident ".....perhaps a short circuit?.... or someone left some equipment turned on after they went home? ....strange that the fire didn't start till 5 am, eh?

absolutely --please don't sack him.....I enjoy watching Liver fool, it's the best comedy show on TV.......

uh huh ?....trying to burn down White Hart Lane ...and claim the insurance money?......

regardless of what individual fans on here may say ... the fact that Saints recently extended his contract until 2018...... surely speaks volumes for the management's opinion of him......

I think a lot of journos' surely create a story in the same way some fans play.... " FIFA Manager "....' ....ah, now he looks like a good player.. .....really where does he play?.. .....he's a striker.. oh yes.. which Prem.side needs another striker...what about Saints? subsequent ARTICLE then reads; Saints want to sign " wonder striker " ...yeah , yeah blah blah.. Koeman is very candid in his answers to questions .....and I'd prefer to listen to his comments rather than a journo's "space-filling" fairy stories.. Maybe he is good, but that doesn't mean we're looking to sign him...and everyone else the newspapers " ITK" tip every day.. In this case, the most important thing is his mindset, and then ask ...is he " a Saints' fit ?" (recalling that Taider just didn't " fit " into the scheme of things). Surely Saints must have learnt a lesson from the Ramirez and Osvaldo transfers...or?...

AND of course, he's right, but it's always been that way - hasn't it ?...and we accept it, whereas at other times of the season, we moan about playing 3 times in a week. The Christmas /New Year can be more than a game-changer. Many games in a short period, with little rest between...potential injuries...suspensions ...frequent travelling, bad weather and dodgy referees. What on Earth could possibly go wrong ?

Short of an earthquake at Stamford Bridge, no-one stands a chance of catching Chelsea, so Citeh are a team to beat ...if we are serious about finishing " top four ". We need alternatives to seeing Pelle double-marked, so Long should be selected, and providing we can defend as well (as we have done), we should get a result, but a draw wouldn't be a disgrace, either.

...with a strong defence in front of him, that's quite likely to happen. Longer periods without even a touch of the ball, can tax your concentration. As for last night....he decided to go for an interception, perhaps a bad call. Forster is a big (and heavy man)......and Gabby A's is smaller and faster, so it was less than a 50/50 ball. ....with our total dominance, Villa were only going to score from a breakaway. We certainly didn't deserve to lose, but should have won it by HT with the chances and possession we had first half.

what I meant was ...trying .....to unsettle Saints fans......and who is this Alex Crook fellow, anyway?

Yes terrible - wasn't it ?....once again.......... Fonte wasn't there to rescue him ......

absolutely perfect, I can see this being re-vamped over and over again......as was the "Hitler " video clip, a year or two ago.... next up ....Mauricio????

another good in-depth article from Jonathan Liew (he must be in the minority), because many journos only look to write about things to unsettle the Saints' fans. I liked the many personal (Bertrand) quotes ...and an interesting reference to his devoted " soccer mum " - (very similar to Nathaniel Clyne's recent comments regarding his own upbringing) . Good to hear about " the human side" of a player and his lifestyle, and bring him even closer to the fans' perception. Certainly a very good replacement (for Shaw). I wouldn't like to have to choose between them. Sadly, he's still in the same situation as at Chelsea. With Baines, Shaw and Gibbs already favoured for the England no.3 shirt, he might have to wait a bit longer for further England chances.

aaaah yes, but that's only when they play against 10 men, though......

looking back ......Sour Mash has written something similar on #17 on this thread. it's not my estimate but one that's been quoted in several articles about Saints' supposed " interest " in him---if indeed there is any. Another "source" suggested they'd refused £5 mill. and wanted 10m. maybe some people are misjudging him, but that sort of fee sounds vastly inflated for an uncapped Championship level player - when you consider the fees we've paid out recently.

I thought the tackle that brought him down was pretty cynical, (and not punished either).....but he was silly to retaliate, and Vertonghen quickly went down like a lorryload of bricks. Still if they manage to get an opponent sent off in every game, then they probably can beat 10 mean.

....but not after today -they won't.